It is not very obvious but my fuji 18-55 zoom has the same thing on the underside of the barrel. It doesn't stand out but if you look for it in bright light it is there on the barrel, but not the ring. Same as the picture of the long zoom.

It is not very obvious but my fuji 18-55 zoom has the same thing on the underside of the barrel. It doesn't stand out but if you look for it in bright light it is there on the barrel, but not the ring. Same as the picture of the long zoom.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Lots of lenses, particularly the barrels, are made of plastic today, makes them much lighter and easier to carry. The Nikon 50mm 1.8 is made of plastic, you could almost call it flimsy, but its optically wonderful so you just ignore it. I doubt Fuji would put out a poor product, it will impress you once you have it in your hands and take a few snaps!

It is not very obvious but my fuji 18-55 zoom has the same thing on the underside of the barrel. It doesn't stand out but if you look for it in bright light it is there on the barrel, but not the ring. Same as the picture of the long zoom.

argh sacrilege!

actually, on close inspection it occurs 3x, every 120 degrees. At the bottom center and top/sides. So no line on top center making not obvious.

Plastic comes in a variety of qualities, but I'd expect Fuji to have chosen one for the internal barrel that will fare well if it's built well. I don't know the design of the lens, but if the inner barrel is a component that moves with focusing, it may be plastic to keep the weight down for the AF motor - ie to keep the AF speed up. Leica can use designs that don't have to consider weight and heavy damping because their focusing is MF. They might just be a tad dearer too.....

Personally I'd still like to see a small modestly fast prime of around 90/2 or 100/2.8 in the XF range. Something a significant step up from the 55mm end of the zoom but still small and light in keeping with the mirror-less adavantage.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Lots of lenses, particularly the barrels, are made of plastic today, makes them much lighter and easier to carry. The Nikon 50mm 1.8 is made of plastic, you could almost call it flimsy, but its optically wonderful so you just ignore it. I doubt Fuji would put out a poor product, it will impress you once you have it in your hands and take a few snaps!

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Kind regards,Mark

Mark, Definitely going to be a great product but I am a HUGE fetish and that's why I bought a XPro1; Leica does not make these slips...

Plastic comes in a variety of qualities, but I'd expect Fuji to have chosen one for the internal barrel that will fare well if it's built well. I don't know the design of the lens, but if the inner barrel is a component that moves with focusing, it may be plastic to keep the weight down for the AF motor - ie to keep the AF speed up. Leica can use designs that don't have to consider weight and heavy damping because their focusing is MF. They might just be a tad dearer too.....

Personally I'd still like to see a small modestly fast prime of around 90/2 or 100/2.8 in the XF range. Something a significant step up from the 55mm end of the zoom but still small and light in keeping with the mirror-less adavantage.

Cheers, Rod

Ohhh this can be an intelligent response, the speed of focus may be an acceptable reason for a worshiper of objects as me.

Aw, now you've gone and done it...LEICA will raise the price of all of it's lenses even more stratospherically now, because we are all realizing that most other lenses are not made entirely of metal as theirs are! Hummm, If I just had an extra $5,000 laying around.

FUJI X; "Red Dot" quality for a lot less "M"oney!!! That's exactly why we are all here.

Are there any extending-barrel zooms whose extending barrels aren't plastic? I know that the Canon 70-300mm L, for example, has a plastic extending barrel...but I definitely do not have a wide knowledge of such lenses.

Aw, now you've gone and done it...LEICA will raise the price of all of it's lenses even more stratospherically now, because we are all realizing that most other lenses are not made entirely of metal as theirs are! Hummm, If I just had an extra $5,000 laying around.

FUJI X; "Red Dot" quality for a lot less "M"oney!!! That's exactly why we are all here.

FUJI X; "Red Dot" quality for a lot less "M"oney!!! That's exactly why we are all here.

Actually, this is exactly what got my attention and there was no turning back. my saying is, 'the Leica I always wanted but a lot better'. Better AF, ISO, affordable quality, well perhaps not in the barrel, but what the barrel holds does the trick.

i always felt the the feel of the barrel was nothing special but I mostly get annoyed at how the outside is a major dust magnet.

Are there any extending-barrel zooms whose extending barrels aren't plastic? I know that the Canon 70-300mm L, for example, has a plastic extending barrel...but I definitely do not have a wide knowledge of such lenses.

I'm really obsolete: the lenses in the 80's were all metal, including those from manufacturers such as Tamron, Tokina, Kiron etc. The fact is that the X system is designed (IMO) for people who seek the past in modern. And... in the past a plastic lens does not existed, it was simply a BLASPHEMY!

FUJI X; "Red Dot" quality for a lot less "M"oney!!! That's exactly why we are all here.

Actually, this is exactly what got my attention and there was no turning back. my saying is, 'the Leica I always wanted but a lot better'. Better AF, ISO, affordable quality, well perhaps not in the barrel, but what the barrel holds does the trick.

i always felt the the feel of the barrel was nothing special but I mostly get annoyed at how the outside is a major dust magnet.

Aw, now you've gone and done it...LEICA will raise the price of all of it's lenses even more stratospherically now, because we are all realizing that most other lenses are not made entirely of metal as theirs are! Hummm, If I just had an extra $5,000 laying around.

FUJI X; "Red Dot" quality for a lot less "M"oney!!! That's exactly why we are all here.

I made a crazy mistake!

NO!!! Stop looking at the picture of the lens and look at the pictures from the camera. That will make you feel better. Remember, it weighs 2x more than the similar Sony, and also lets in twice the light, a stop faster. The Leica zoom is, oh, they do not have a long lens option at all.